Expect the Unexpected
by Shauna Kullden
Summary: Jace Herondale is the top agent in the New York Shadowhunter agency and is assigned to a case with a red headed partner he hasn't met yet.On the way to their meeting he bumps into another redhead whom he mistakes for his partner and all hell breaks loose when he finds himself furious with and then fascinated by the red headed girl called Clary. (Clace, Sizzy, Jaia and maybe Malec)
1. The blue haired man

Hey guys!

I'm so sorry that I did not update a new chapter for so long.

I've had a rough couple of months, and my exams have just gotten over. Sorry, again, for not writing.

I have edited and completely redone my first three chapters- please read them again once I post them. My writing was horrible in those chapters and I'm changing a couple of thigs... so please read them!

So, that's it, thanks for being such amazing readers, I love you all!

:)

Ciao!


	2. Partnership

_**Hey guys! The next two chapters won't be very interesting, they're just like filler –types. It's just a little insight into their lives. Hope you don't get frustrated with me and quit reading this story from now on, I promise you, there's a lot of awesomeness to come!**_

 _ **CHAPTER 2:**_ _Partnership_

 _Being at the prime time of your life is definitely a perk,_ Jace decided. _It gets you discounts and inevitably gets you numbers of hot girls._

But then again, not every man who was 21 could boast about howhe got three hot girls' numbers in two and a half hours if you weren't Jace Herondale- perfection personified. He was golden. Like _literally golden, all over._

Golden blond hair, golden hazel eyes, golden tan and an absolutely husky, sexy , golden voice. What woman wouldn't want him for herself?

Jace winked at the waitress (whose name tag read: _**Kaelie**_ ), who immediately blushed and choked back a giggle.

"How may I help you?"She asked, (in what she thought was a seductive voice , no doubt) surely with a double meaning behind it.

"I don't know, Kaelie, how _can_ you help me?"

Then another voice cut into their 'conversation':

"Jace , stop torturing her and just freaking order, already! I'm starving!" The owner of the voice was soon known when they pushed past Kaelie and sat down opposite to Jace in the booth.

Kaelie widened, then narrowed her blue eyes and flipped her dyed-blond hair over her shoulder when she saw the person. This was a fairly understandable reaction, considering the appearance of the person in question- Isabelle Lightwood: Raven-haired, brown eyed, tall, curvy, fashionable and definitely competition for the waitress.

Not to mention that the former was wearing knee-high black leather boots and a dark blue romper, topped off with a pair of aviators and a black jacket, which _totally_ showed off her long legs and curves. Yep, intimidating and beautiful, that was Isabelle Lightwood.

Not that Jace was into Isabelle or dating her- far from it-in fact, they could be siblings, save for their looks.

"Hey, Izzy" Jace said , offering Kaelie a weak smile before turning to Isabelle. Isabelle just rolled her eyes at him.

Kaelie cleared her throat, "Well, what can I get you?"She asked, her pen poised over her notepad.

"I'll get the steak and a coke"

"I'll have a Caesar salad and water."

Obviously the latter was Isabelle.

"Anything else?"

"Oh yeah, also a cheese macaroni, nachos and dip and another coke." Isabelle put in.

"Will be right up." Kaelie said with a swift, stiff smile and at her and sashayed away.

"You ordered all that for you?"

"No, Alec's joining us."

"Oh."

The silence persisted for about two more minutes. Finally Izzy said:

"Do you _have_ to flirt with every girl you meet, no matter how sluttish she may be?"

"Do you _have_ to ruin my chances with every girl you see me flirt with?"

"Oh, please, she hasn't given up- did you not see her 'girl face'? She'll probably slip you her number through the bill or something to give you 'a _choice'_!" she huffed, making wild hand gestures- like she always did." _So,_ how has your life been, lately , other than that successful mission downtown?"

Oh and one more tiny detail- Isabelle used to be an agent, before she switched her career to fashion designing and modeling. Being the daughter of one of Shadownhunter agency's employees, she initially started out as an agent and was _very_ good at it, but decided she wanted something else to do with her life- it was a bummer, really, the agency lost a valuable member. So, she knew about almost everything that went on in the agency and Jace wasn't surprised.

"Yeah, that case is still ongoing and I'm calling the shots. We have a meeting with Valentine's men tomorrow at 10 and I have to-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa- slow down! Who's Valentine- that Korean bomb blast dude?" Izzy intervened.

"Yeah, him. He was supposed to make a nuclear code deal with Malachi- _he's_ the guy who wants to blackmail the Koreans- to earn a place in the black market and in the power circle. The usual. But we intercepted his man, Sean- it was only too easy, that guy busted up our security sensors and we found him in a couple of minutes. Also, we had unexpected accomplices on the scene , so we took them in and questioned them too. Turns out they were just there to make sure the deal went down as planned. We had to force them to record a confirmation message to send it back to Valentine."

Izzy nodded, processing all that he said. "So, Valentine is the guy whom you are meeting with tomorrow? For what?"

"Well, Valentine Morgenstern doesn't actually know that he's meeting _me-_ he thinks he's having a rendezvous with his man Sean to collect the money and the pass for the black market code auction."

"However, he'll be getting a face full of Jace Herondale and his ego. And also the agency's big guns" Izzy finished for him, smiling." How cliché- but it isn't the whole picture is it? The agency wouldn't get you to do something that simple- they'd send a rookie."

Jace smiled at Isabelle's perception and the subtle compliment.

"You're right. You see it's complicated. Valentine Morgenstern is a hard man to catch- if it was any other man- he would just walk up and take the money personally or send someone else to do it." He was cut off when Kaelie arrived with the food and placed it in front of them. She looked at them expectantly (Jace, more than Isabelle) and seeing their lack of response promptly left.

"So, you were saying?"

"Yeah, so to understand this guy and his ways, I looked up his files and I realized that he's a control freak _and_ a top rank criminal mastermind- which means that it's going to take another mastermind to take him down." He said, gesturing to himself. Isabelle ignored the last line and took in all the relevant information.

"So, you're saying that since he's a control freak, he's going to personally monitor each and every move of his henchmen and yet, not directly do anything by himself because he wouldn't want to get caught." She clarified, sipping her water.

Jace leaned back on his sofa, tipping the rest of the contents of his coke can down his throat; "Yup, you got it. No doubt Valentine would have rigged up his man with listening devices, so we just have to pinpoint his location and find him- that's going to be damn hard."

He put down his can just as a tall man with a blue hoodie and jeans made his way to their booth and sat next to Izzy.

Alexander- Alec- Lightwood pulled his plate of warm cheesy macaroni towards himself and picked up his fork.

"Hello to you too, Alec" Isabelle said, playfully punching him."I see you after three days and this is how you greet me?"

Alec grunted and put down his hood, shaking out his dark hair, identical to Isabelle's, and fixed his iron blue gaze on them.

"Yeah, sorry, Hello to both of you, but I'm not talking until my stomach isn't making sounds akin to that of thunder!- I am _absolutely starving!"_

The other two snickered at his rare display of dramatics and with that the three of them ate in silence.

The three occupants of the booth had a long history, individually and with each other. Alec also worked for the agency an although he was great at kicking some ass , he preferred sitting at a desk and being part of the 'brains' of the Shadowhunter agency.

Both the Lightwood siblings had quit their field agent jobs for one main, common reason as well as other separate reasons. It involved their family and they hardly talked about it, Jace being one of the few people who knew about it. But, we'll get into it later.

"Oh, by the way Jace, Hodge says that you're meeting your partner on the case tomorrow at rendezvous point."

Jace nearly choked on his glass of water.

" _What?_ I don't need a partner! I can do this on my own- what, does he think I need to babysit someone, now? He knows that I work better with people I know or-or just solo!"

Alec just calmly studied him while he took a breath after his expected, childish outburst.

"Jace, you know that having a partner doesn't mean that you have to impress them or prove yourself to them. It doesn't mean that it's a competition between you and them or that you or they have to take charge. It means that you're both there to support each other, back each other up and watch each other's backs in the case. It's protocol." He said, comforting Jace and putting an end to his fears- Alec always seemed to know what he needed and what he feared at that moment.

So Jace calmed himself down, knowing that Hodge and Alec never wanted to bring him misery and nodded.

"You're right, I'm just overreacting- 'cause I've never had a real partner except for Maia and remember how our first mission as partners turned out?"

Isabelle and Alec chuckled as they reminisced how Jace first met Maia: on a mission. Maia had immediately taken a dislike to him, because did not trust good-looking guys (Long story) and refused to cooperate with him.

"Yeah, but look how that turned out! You're great friends now!" Izzy said, patting his hand.

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

They paid the bill and made their way out of the diner, into the crisp autumn air of October.

"So ,Sunday? Same place, same time?" Izzy asked looking over her shoulder at the other two , ignoring the not-so-subtle, appreciative looks that men were giving her.

"Yeah, sure."

Alec glared at a particularly rugged looking man who was ogling at his sister shamelessly and was too busy to respond. Jace raised a fair eyebrow at her and dipped his head at the ogling man, smirking.

"Yeah, whatever, Jace – look who's talking." Isabelle huffed crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

"Hey, I did not _say_ anything _"_ Jace said, winking at her and dragging Alec back with him.

"Oh, and Izzy- you were right-I have a certain blond pixie's number on the back of the bill"

 _ **Please, please, please review, it means so much to me!**_

 _ **Even if it is only criticism, I'll appreciate it because I need to improve!**_

 _ **Thank you all for reading this and thank you to all my lovely reviewers who left encouraging reviews and constructive criticism!**_

 _ **Shout out to Bubblegum234, guest #1, Can't live without nutella and ALL the lovely people who favorited and followed my story!**_

 _ **Thank you!**_

 _ **Question of the chapter: Who is your favorite Mortal instruments character?**_

 _ **Mine is Simon.**_


	3. Life decisions

_**Hello, lovely people!**_

 _ **FINALLY, I have given y'all a Clary chapter!**_

 _ **This is a little insight into Clary's life and her routine, basically…**_

 _ **Hope you enjoy!**_

 _ **CHAPTER 3:**_ _Life decisions_

" _MOM!_ For the _eighteenth time,_ I am _not_ dating a random douche that I meet online!"

"But honey, you have to put yourself out there! I'm concerned that you're wasting your life!"

"I don't think that being single is a waste of life, mom! Honestly, if anything, single life has more freedom than relationship life, okay! _No_ need for remembering anniversaries and other dates- and I can just spend Valentine's day on my couch watching game of thrones' reruns! It's just simpler and easier that way!"

This was a never-ending conversation –or should I say _argument_ \- that had been going on for the past month and had now become, ritualistic, you could say, in the Fairchild residence.

Ever since Clarissa Fairchild completed 20 years of age, her mother Jocelyn had started worrying that Clary would end up as an old maid, the only reason being that she just wasn't interested but was too workaholic.

This was one of the only differences of opinion between mother and daughter as their tastes and opinions were similar, just like their appearances.

Both were short , Redheaded and green-eyed , with an abundance of artistic skill, which explained why the walls of the Fairchild residence were hardly seen, but covered with various framed paintings done by either Jocelyn or Clary.

"Please, at least give it a shot- god knows why you're still single, only a fool wouldn't see how intriguing and amazing you are Clary!" Jocelyn argued, pulling out the leftovers from the microwave.

"You know, maybe I should cancel these Thursday night catch-up sessions with you mom! At least then you wouldn't bother me with this!" Clary exclaimed, plucking the tray from her mother's hands and setting it on the counter.

Her mother smiled knowingly. She knew Clarissa wouldn't do that. After all, Clary rescheduled her Thursday evening art classes to Sunday, because she wanted to spend time with her mother and everyone knew that Clary _never_ spent her Sunday taking any classes, but left them for relaxation and homework catching up.

So yeah, these 'catching-up sessions' as she put it wasn't something she took for granted. Of-course, Clary wasn't aware that Jocelyn knew of her rescheduling.

"Do it for me, at least, if not for yourself." Jocelyn said, changing tactics, using the 'puppy dog eyes' which was weird, considering she was a middle aged, mature adult.

Clary gave a frustrated groan, raking a slender hand through her untameable fiery red curls. " _Fine!_ I'll think about it, okay?"

The front door opened and shut and Jonathan, Clary's brother, came into the kitchen, his car keys dangling from his hand, a black backpack in his other hand.

"Hey, no shoes in the kitchen!" Jocelyn said pointing to his black converse and carrying the tray to the dining table.

"Good to see you too, mom! Hey Clare-bear! How's college?" Jon said, removing his shoes after tossing his backpack onto the floor.

"Same old, same old. You don't have to ask me that question every time you see me." Clary said, walking up to him and hugging him. He hugged her back, resting his chin on her soft hair.

And it looked pretty awkward, considering how tall and hunky he was and how petite she was.

One could never tell that Clary and Jon were siblings as they looked nothing like each other, except for their emerald green eyes. Jon was muscular, tall handsome and had white-blond hair.

"Did you know I got a new car?" Jon asked, excitement coloring his voice.

What was it with boys and their toys?

"No, I didn't."

"Well, come see it! It's a beauty! Which means, you are _never_ driving it!"

"Hey! My driving isn't bad!"

"Whatever. I'm not letting anyone else drive it, anyway, so it's not just you."

He practically dragged her to their driveway to view and envy his shiny, brand new, red Chevrolet convertible.

Red.

 _I knew it. I knew it would be red._ Clary thought. Red was Jonathan's favorite 'car color' as he called it.

"I can't _wait_ to take Lily in it!"

Lily was Jon's girlfriend and they were the pride and joy of Jocelyn. Clary tried not to think about Jon and Lily- it just made her depressed and feel lonely even in her usually homey apartment she had for herself.

"Kids! Movies's on! Come in!" their mother shouted from inside and Jonathan ushered Clary back into the house to watch.

As the movie's starting credits rolled on screen, Clary wondered what it would be like to have a person with whom she could share her sorrows and grievances with, her happiness and successes with and most of all spill her soul to and wake up with: like how Jonathan had Lily and her mom had had her dad- Jonathan Clark.

That was when she realized that she had been in denial all along- she yearned for a relationship almost as much as those desperate girls coated in makeup and clubbing every night. Well, maybe not _that_ desperate, but yeah, she was getting there.

Maybe her mother was right: she had to get out into the world and discover the joys and adventure, she had to risk her heart in the game or she would never be able to live her life to the fullest.

At that moment she decided, she would finally try a hand in all aspects of life and not just art, dance and music.

That meant she would have to create an online profile on one of those dating websites her mother had painstakingly listed out and stuck to her refrigerator door.

Crap, she had to use a laptop.

And everyone knew that Clarissa Fairchild Plus computers equals disaster.

 _ **Please, please, PLEASE review, it makes me happy! Thank you all for reading this chapter and boosting my self esteem!**_

 _ **PS: I promise that the Jonathan's new car is of significance! Just wait till the climax scenes!**_


	4. Central park

**Hey guys! Next chapter is finally up!**

 **I'm in grandfather's house and am working on his laptop, right now-And it's almost as old as him! (Just kidding! It's just a little unresponsive at times!)**

 **And Voila!**

 _ **CHAPTER 4:**_ _Central park_

Clary's nails had been chewed through and now her lips were being attacked.

"Fray, would you stop biting your lip? _Again?"_ asked the man sitting across from her on the bed, without even looking up from the computer screen.

That was Simon, Clary's best friend since childhood. They had been close from the toddler days and you could point out exactly from when Simon had entered Clary's life, due to the innumerous photo albums, courtesy to Jocelyn and Elaine.(Simon's mom)

Most people thought that they were romantically involved, considering their emotional intimacy and the ease with which they showed affection for each other, but no.

There might have been a time when Simon had been in love with Clary but that was five years ago, when Simon and Clary were sixteen and fifteen respectively. Their relationship had surely evolved though, and had survived multiple ups and downs and they were siblings in all but blood.

He was lanky, tall, bespectacled and brown-haired with dark brown eyes and an undying obsession with star wars. Clary and Simon were so similar that they could write each others' autobiographies.

Well-similar, apart from Simon's total inability to draw a straight line and Clary's inbuilt lack of computer knowledge and interest.

As for him calling her Fray- that was her artist name. Clary had decided that 'Clarissa Fairchild' was too big a name to sign on every one of her works of art: so, she chose 'Clary Fray'.

"Is it done yet?"

"You do know that you asked me that around thirty-six seconds ago, right?"

"No."

Simon sighed and pinched his nose, his glasses reflecting the light from the monitor. Currently, he was working on creating a profile for Clary while she chose to fidget with the bed sheets and reconsider her decision every two minutes, which irritated Simon to no end. Simon attended the NYU and was hoping to snag his dream job of working for the FBI as a detective.

Also, he was the drummer for a small band that he and his friends had started in high school. During high school, after all the boys had hit puberty, they started developing a bigger fan base consisting of twelve or thirteen year old girls.

No surprise, really, considering how even _Clary_ noticed how hot Simon had gotten over the past three years- his hair now had that permanent 'I just woke up from bed' look, without any effort and his cheeks dimpled whenever he grinned. He was no longer the geeky, adorable boy, buried in oversized fabric like he had been in high school.

"Have you been listening to anything I said the past minute?" Simon cut into her mental monologue.

"You know the answer to that" Clary said, turning her attention back to Simon and the lethal machine on his lap. "You're done? It's over? Can we go to Java Jones, now? Finally!" Clary exclaimed, shaking his hand.

Simon rolled his eyes.

"Clare, there's already a test date set up for you."

Her face fell. "Maybe I shouldn't do this."

Simon huffed, exasperated. "This again?! I thought I told you that if you're making up your mind, do it once and for all-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know- and don't act like you're irritated, you know you love me."

"Yeah, yeah, I know… but you've been set up on a blind date, so… you're probably gonna have to go, you know..."

Clary considered it: _It wouldn't be so bad, what was she expecting anyway? She had signed up for this, right? What could possibly go wrong?_

Little did she know that that very assumption was wrong: Fate had decided to complicate things and step up the game.

"Okay, then, you're supposed to meet this dude called 'Raphael' in central park, tomorrow morning at 10:30 am- apparently, it's a breakfast date." Simon read out of the screen.

"The other details are here. This isn't bad, Clary, at least if this dude turns out to be a freak, he can't expect anything from you in the morning, right?"

"You're right. Shall we go to Java Jones, now?"

Simon gave a toothy grin.

"You read my mind. I feel like having a cinnamon soy latte myself."

"I really don't understand, how you people stand the sweet cream or the cinnamon. I prefer the black, non-sugar ones."

"That's because it's as black as your soul, Fray." He said poking her shoulder as he put on his jacket.

"Oh, shut up."

xxxxxxxxx

"It's been postponed by half an hour."

"What?"

"Valentine?Meeting? Ring a bell?"

"Yeah, _that_ has been postponed by thirty minutes? Why?"

Hodge and Jace were swiftly walking in the corridors of the 'Institute', (As the agency headquarters was commonly known) making their way to the surveillance room, each with a mug of hot morning coffee in their hands.

"We need to set up the satellite dishes and initiate sonar signals to track down Valentine's position, so that we can capture him. I know that our men can handle it" They took a sharp turn into the room filled with computer screens and shelves full of files.

"You're going to be the one negotiating with Valentine's man. I don't trust anyone else to do that- you're good with words and criminals- this is a blend of both, so you are the best man for the job."

"Yes, I understand that, but why do I get the feeling that dealing with Valentine is going to be way harder than that? Is there something you aren't telling me?"

It could have been his imagination, but Hodge looked vaguely shocked, his face paled and he gripped his mug tighter. But that was all in a split second and the next moment, his face had relaxed and he chuckled.

"Yes, Jace, it _is_ a lot more complicated than what I broke down for you, but that's only because the actual talking and negotiating is only the beginning step- this case isn't closed, yet." Hodge turned away from him to shout across the room: "Samuel, put up the files on the screen!", pointing at the huge mega-pixel screen in front of the room.

"Hodge, I know that this isn't a routine mission- I am _very_ aware of that-I looked up this guy's files- he's an old player in the criminal world, but he's still part of the toppers." Jace said, drawing Hodge's attention back to him.

Jace straightened his tie.

"We have to be prepared for failure. Valentine has done this before- he knows the drill. He'll be expecting us to run sonar and detect his location. He's elusive. He like to hide in the shadows and lure people to him, that's his game- and when he's prodded us enough, he'll get rid of the foreplay and finish everyone off- that's his style."

Hodge nodded, taking in all he said. "Aright, we'll have to be extremely secretive about this- we won't let anyone else-even in the agency- know about the significance of this case. They'll just think that this is a common case that you're interested in."

Jace raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything.

"Then, just in case we don't catch him, we just have to make sure that Valentine doesn't realize that we're tracking him. Sound good to you?"

Jace slowly nodded, "That's good for now…. What about after today? What do we have to do?"

"We'll just take it one step at a time, okay? As for what the next plan is, you have to discuss that with your partner."Hodge said.

"About that, Hodge- I need to know who my partner is and also about his details."

" , the files are up!" the guy Samuel shouted, just as the files he had asked for appeared on the screen.

"And _that_ is what _this_ is." Hodge said, nodding at the screen.

Jace focused on the files that had shown up on the huge monitor:

 **BASE :** LONDON

 **ID NUMBER :** LUK-002568-009

 **AGENT :** QUEEN

 **ASSESSMENT: Graduation report :** 298/300

 **Assessment (2015) report:** 499/500

 **MISSIONS :** 8

 **MISSION :** ALL EIGHT= SUCCESSFUL **STATUS**

 **RANKING :** TOP RANK #1- (2015)

TOP RANK #1- (2014)

SECOND RANK #2- (2013)

 **STATUS:** AVAILABLE FOR FURTHER MISSIONS.

Jace whistled. This was top agent material. Even he couldn't beat that.

"Agent queen, huh? So is it a man or a woman?" Jace asked Hodge who was studying his reaction, his features laced with amusement.

The other thing about being an agent was that no one would call another field agent by their first names unless they were on close terms. No one even knew their first names if they hadn't been partners on a case and divulged it.

That was how the system worked to give privacy and security to the agent. Their photographs as well, were confidential and could only be viewed by authorized personnel.

"Female. The only thing I'm allowed to share is that she's a redhead. Oh, and one detail: Since this case needs the sonar input, you can't use your tracking device to locate your partner- you just have to meet her at rendezvous point."

"Which is?"

"she'll lead you to it, once she finds you."

Jace frowned. There were many things that could go wrong in this plan.

"Does she know who I am?"

"Well, yes Jace- she has jurisdiction to your files and so, she knows your full name and your appearance. But that's all- she doesn't know any personal detail, no one does."

"Oh. Well, that just leaves me nothing much to worry about."

"Just about. Also, you should know that the case gets all the more complicated after today."

Jace nodded.

"Okay then, Hodge- I'll see you tomorrow at briefing. Oh- and where do I have to wait for Agent Queen the redhead?"

"Central Park. 10:30 AM. Sharp."

 **Oooh! Who's the mysterious, successful agent? Read and find out?**

 **Let me know of your suspicions as to who it could be! Thank you so much for reading guys!**

 **Please review, it makes my day!**

 **Next chapter is coming up soon, just you wait!**

 **Question of the chapter:**

" **Which is your favourite 'Mortal instruments' quote?"**


	5. Instinctual Emotions

**Just as a clarification: The first part of this chapter is set just after the previous one and is around the middle-end of October.**

 **(There's a reason for that- hee hee! *mischievous smile and rubbing hands together*)**

 **Also, the day of the club capture scene is the same as Clary's family night- which is Thursday. The next day, Friday is the day that Izzy, Alec and Jace meet and Clary and Simon make her online profile. This chapter's beginning is Friday afternoon/evening (Right after the previous chapter) and then later on is Saturday the 'date' and the meeting.**

 **And, I'm thinking that Clary's hair color- the one that I have in mind- is the exact same shade as the one in a picture on Google images: Search 'Emma stone red hair' on Google images- the first picture from the right is the shade that I like the most. A flashy _orange_ red is not what I call _natural_ , and Clary's hair is _natural_. So Clary's hair is an auburn-ish color.**

* * *

 ** _CHAPTER 5:_** _Instinctual Emotions:_

 _Bang. Bang. Bang._

All three bullets buried themselves into the target's bosom.

" _Damn,_ Alec- if that had been a woman, she'd have lost her main appeal, don't you think?"

Jace, Alec and Jordan Kyle, another techie who worked with Alec, were sharpening their shooting skills in the institute's training area. Well, Alec and Jordan were- Jace, however, was only there because he wanted to vent his frustration. In the past hour and had ruined two punching bags and five mannequins.

The other two had smartly stayed out of his way, but when Jace's mouth curved up slightly at Jordan's comment, they knew he had calmed down enough for them to inquire about his moodiness.

After profiling of his partner, Jace had interrogated the two 'accomplices'- called Pangborn and Blackwell- who had been in the bar. He had made a beeline for the training room immediately after that had run into Jordan and Alec.

"So, … I take it your interrogation did not go well? Or was it something Hodge said?" Alec asked carefully, scrutinizing Jace's expression.

Jace shrugged, eyes still on his target. "A mixture of both, you could say."

 _Bang._

Yet another bull's eye. Even when stressed, agents _always_ hit their targets. That's what they were trained for anyway- missions were stressful and uncertain.

Taking off his tinted goggles and headphones and setting them down, he sighed, exhausted.

"The two men don't seem to know anything about Valentine-they were sent just to ensure that both parties turned up. They had already informed him that the Circle's man had come and they were going to leave- _then_ they were captured by our men."

He flopped down on one of the orange couches in the hallway, running a hand through his soft blond curls, tugging at them as though that would rid him of his headache.

"Sooo, what's so frustrating about _that_? It's a good thing, right?" Jordan asked, as he and Alec followed suit and settled on either side of him on the couch.

Jace laughed humorlessly, turning to look at Jordan." _That_ isn't the problem. It's this,.. I don't know how to explain it...-I-I have this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach-something's… not right. They didn't put up a fight Jordan! I find it hard to believe that people who work for Valentine are such cowards…wouldn't he dispose of them if they weren't up to the task?"

His blazing hazel-gold eyes reflected his internal confusion.

Agents were taught from their first day to follow their instincts-and his instincts were warning him that tomorrow's meeting boded ill.

"Someone as powerful and controlling as Valentine Morgenstern can't be overthrown so easily. His men have been caught easily- _twice!_ It can't-I mean, The Agency is definitely the best, but there are only so many victories that can be won in so small a period."

Alec and Jordan nodded.

"And what was it that Hodge told you?" the former asked.

Jace looked vaguely uncomfortable."I got the main info about my partner and it's a classified mission. He said -uh- he said it was a routine locate and capture tomorrow."

Jordan seemed satisfied with this answer, but Alec, knowing Jace like the back of his hand, frowned.

 _He was hiding something._

Just as he had opened his mouth to say something, a tall, dark woman, banged open the hallway door and walked briskly towards them, her ponytail swinging from side to side.

Jordan immediately stood up at the sight of his girlfriend and offered her a goofy grin to which she smiled in return.

"Hey boys! Taking a break?" Maia Roberts asked as she reached them, leaning against Jordan's shoulder, her dark jacket and pants contrasting with the sweat stained white shirt that Jordan wore. Jordan wrapped his arm around her and kissed her.

Alec faked gagging. "I need a break from all _this._ " he said gesturing to their entwining forms. The couple rolled their eyes in unison.

"As much as this may surprise you, I did not come here just to enjoy your _lovely,_ or should I say _\- sweaty_ company. Jace, Hodge wants you for briefing tomorrow at 9:30 here. _And_ he told me to remind you to bring _only_ your phone into the perimeter."

Jace nodded and got up to leave.

"Well, I'm leaving- hope you don't mind being the third wheel here, kiddo." Jace said to Alec, ruffling his hair as he walked past, grabbing his gun from the table.

"How many times do I remind you that _I'm_ the one who is older and not you? I'm older than you by two whole years Jace!"  
And taking their leave from the lovesick couple they made their way into the main office.

"So what did Hodge say about your partner?" Alec murmured, once they were out of Jordan and Maia's hearing range.

"It isn't about what he said. It's about what he _didn't_ say."

Jace knew he wasn't supposed to tell Alec about the true purpose of the mission- but Alec was his brother; They had been each other's alter ego from as long as he could remember. So he filled him in on all the details. After all, it would be like telling himself.

Alec frowned as Jace continued:

"She's _top_ rank, Alec. My partner is a top rank agent in _London_. Why would she come here? Why would they even assign her here?"

* * *

 **Saturday (The next day) 10:20 AM:**

Central Park was the place mothers took their babies in prams and gossiped with friends.

It was the place couples went for day dates.

It was the place tourists swarmed in the holiday seasons.

 _However, one use it was hardly known to be put to was having a black market circle's ticket exchange meeting with one of the most ruthless, cunning criminals in the_ _world_ Jace mused as he tapped his phone against his leg, eyes flitting from one side to another, searching for his would-be partner.

He had been here for the past half an hour, becoming increasingly anxious with every passing moment.

It was actually a beautiful day. The sky was a light blue, with occasional white wispy clouds flitting across it. The sunlight formed bright patterns on the pavement as it filtered through the canopy of leaves and formed shining reflections on the Bethesda fountain's statue. Red and orange leaves flew around in mini tornadoes, eliciting giggles from the toddlers playing nearby. If he wasn't on such an important mission, he would have enjoyed the beautiful weather and sat there, appreciating the serenity. One of the down-sides of the job, it seemed.

It wasn't very crowded in Bethesda Terrace, but it was still too crowded for Jace's taste. Then again, if it wasn't as crowded as it was already, Jace could have been easily spotted by his enemies.

The place had a great view of the surrounding area. Unfortunately for him, it also had a great view of the duck-infested lake. Being an agent, he would have had all sorts of fears- being killed after watching his family die, dying in a cross-fire, trenches and bombs- but _no,_ he was afraid of ducks! _Ducks!_ He did not know why- maybe it was because of their jerky beak movements or their very flexible necks… god, he was feeling nauseated, just thinking about it.

He leaned back against the cool stone bench and checked the time on his phone. It hadn't changed. The few seconds that had passed seemed like an eternity to him.

Realizing that he was way too restless to be sitting around and looking unsuspicious, he got up and walked to the fountain. Through the translucent water, Jace could see the few pennies that people had dropped into the fountain for a wish. No doubt, they had wished for something like a job promotion, a requited love interest, or an easy project. Had any of them of wished for the resurrection of a baby brother? Or that they would live for another day? It seemed hardly plausible.

Jace had often wondered how it would be to be simply… normal. To have a normal parents, a normal girlfriend, a normal bunch of friends with whom he could share his normal memories and happiness. _Normal._ His life wouldn't be filled with uncertainties, blood and death. No missions- the only near-death experiences would be adventurous endeavors undertaken with friends.

As he looked around at all the people- the civilians- who were laughing and talking, or simply enjoying the scenery, he knew that _none_ of them had stared death in the face like _he_ had. He knew, none of them knew that they were safe, to this level, only because of people like _him_.

But he knew that, _that_ life was not one that he wanted. _Normal_ was boring.

He may have fantasized about having a drastically different life, but no one was happier to be himself than Jace Herondale.

Without a moment's hesitation, he would choose this life over any alternate imaginary life he could have had.

The excitement, the confidence he felt when he held a gun, the adrenaline rush and the enormous satisfaction after subduing an enemy- that could never be matched. He loved it; he would never give it up for anything.

 _Ta-ding!_

His phone beeped. With excited, yet wary fingers, he swiped the screen and read the new message:

 _GOOD LUCK YOU BIG IDIOT! GET ME A SOUVENIR?_

 _DON'T YOU DARE FORGET OUR BREAKFAST ON SUNDAY!_

 _I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN IF YOU MISS IT!_

 _-IZ_

Jace smiled and pocketed the gadget. It was nice to have someone close to his heart send him a text before what could very well be his last mission. He knew, being one of the best, he had nothing much to worry about- but one could never know. And being the best, he knew that one must always 'Expect the Unexpected' and that experience did not mean that every mission would be a success.

He knew that Izzy didn't doubt his skills, but he also could read through her seemingly indifferent message: _Stay safe and come back in one piece._

He hoped he would too.

* * *

Clary was confused.

How did blind dates even work if each person did not know what the other looked like? Unfortunately, she had only realized that this was a problem when she arrived at Bethesda Terrace. Her date, 'Raphael' hadn't divulged anything about his appearance, so neither had she.

Either way, she knew he was going to be at the fountain at 10:30 AM. Hopefully, she would find him- or maybe he would find her, it didn't matter. Personally, she wouldn't be very bummed out if she didn't find him today. After all, she was having second thoughts- more like, the thousandth second thought. For the eighth time that hour, she glanced at her attire:

Black pants, white t-shirt, a black leather jacket and a pair of black ankle boots.

 _Maybe a bit too 'biker style'?_ She thought, _I_ _should have dressed in milder clothes, damn it!_

At least her hair was its usual curly, unruly self, tied up in a bun.

Now, surveying the people walking around, she felt lost. No one seemed to be alone. Shouldering her way past groups of people, she made her way to the lake whose scenic view she loved. Clary had already captured the scene in a couple of paintings, but she never got enough of it. Having lived in New York all her life, she shouldn't have been awed by Central Park's beauty, but she just was.

Perhaps it was just the artist in her that transformed the visible beauty of nature into something more meaningful and simply breathtaking.

Every time she saw the lake and the surrounding trees, a different emotion rose within her, but awe always remained.

In the night, it seemed like a mysterious, dark place where Faeries from fairy tales would materialize.

In winter, when the ice covered the lake's surface and the trees drooped with the weight of the blue-white icicles, it seemed like a mystical, untouchable place one drew as a child, but never imagined would visit.

Now, the scene, with the golden rays of the sun seeping through the spreading boughs of the trees, looked magical. All the green had turned into a warm yellow-orange, making the whole park seem… warm. Clary longed for her easel and paints, or at least her sketchpad.

Sadly, she had had to leave it at home- credit to Simon. He had insisted that she leave her sketchpad at home and pay attention to _real_ people other than her family and friends.

She had to admit, he had a point.

She had never dated _._ Sure, she had been asked out, a few times, during high school, but she had refused most of the offers, predominantly because she was never really interested and accepted only one so as to not hurt the poor fellow's feelings. Her _'inexperience'_ was one of the many reasons that she was nervous and uncertain.

Clary checked her watch: **10:24 AM.**

Deciding that it was about time she made herself visible, she made her way to the benches.

Children and couples were merrily talking to each other and walking, a few girl scouts were selling cookies near the entrance- a typical weekend. Then why did she suddenly feel uneasy as though something bad were about to happen?

As her gaze swept over the fountain, she noticed a lone man standing by it, looking into the water as though searching for something. What struck her was that he seemed at ease, yet strained and stiff.

Agitatedly, he raked a hand through his blond hair and turned to the other side. For some reason, she couldn't look away from him- his stance seemed tense, like he was in pain or under stress. It occurred to Clary that staring at a man, no matter how good-looking –would be considered creepy; But in that moment, she couldn't care less.

He turned slowly in a circle as though searching for something… or some _one._

A sudden thought occurred to her- _what if this was the man she was supposed to meet up with for a date?_

The idea seemed ludicrous. Why would someone who looked like _that_ need _online dating_ to revive their love life?

But there was no further thought given to that idea as the blond man turned around to face her direction. Her breath got caught in her throat. He. Was. Stunning. Simply stunning.

She had walked close enough to the fountain but not close enough to see the color of his eyes. His muscular, broad shoulders signified strength and his face was full of angular planes- an artist's dream model. And Clary, of-course, being an artist longed for her sketchpad even more. Her fingers itched to draw the contrasting contours of his cheekbones, the beautiful hooded eyelids and the golden tan spread across his skin. Without realizing it, she had walked closer to the fountain- closer to _him._ His eyes snapped down to meet hers, across the fountain and she stopped. A magnetic pull seemed to keep her rooted to the spot, her feet had become blocks of immovable ice.

She couldn't look away, but she _still_ couldn't identify the color of his eyes- she wanted to. He didn't look away either, which surprised her. For a while they kept staring at each other, each unable to look away … _unwilling_ to look away.

Clary suddenly realized that she had been staring at a man whom she did not know for a long while and blushed to the roots of her scarlet hair. No matter how modernized the world had become, she was sure that ogling was still pretty much _ogling_ \- it was embarrassing.

Chagrined and frustrated with herself, she turned away and made her to Terrace Drive, eager to get away from the magnetic man and to calm herself down- she _clearly_ wasn't ready to start dating- she couldn't even stop staring at a man who was even _remotely_ good looking. (Okay, so maybe she was lying to herself- he was more than just ' _remotely'_ good looking, but that wasn't the point!)

Her earlier thought-more like, _hope_ \- that the man was her 'date' was definitely impossible. This man was too perfect to be single.

She resisted the urge to look back and made her way out of the Terrace.

* * *

 _Red hair._

That was the only thing he could think of when the short girl walked away from him.

 _Red hair._

Oh god. He had been ogling at his new partner!

It was blatantly obvious! Written all over the place! She had clearly been signaling him to follow him and he'd been too preoccupied staring at her that he hadn't realized what he was supposed to do! His perfectly honed agent skills had failed him-(or had he failed _them_?) It was so embarrassing- now she would definitely demean and underestimate him. What an impressive first impression he had made- he had acted like a slow, incompetent fool.

He was frustrated with himself, but deep down he knew that he couldn't have helped it either way. The small redhead's gaze had been _magnetic_ , almost. He couldn't -and _wouldn't_ look away. Something had come over him and he had become unaware of his surroundings. With one stare, this woman had robbed him of his seventh sense that had taken _years_ to build.

Now that his 'constant vigilance' mood had come back, he felt that something bad was going to happen.

 _Obviously- m_ eeting with Valentine Morgenstern definitely counted as ' _bad_ '.

Shaking himself out of his daytime musings, he followed the agent who had progressed a good distance away from him. From afar, he watched her slim frame. Though she seemed fragile and small, he knew that to have gotten the grades that she did in the London institute – she _had_ to have some serious moves.

Appearances were most certainly not a means to judge a person. No doubt, this young redhead had more than a few tricks up her sleeve.

 _Today, world-class criminal would meet his match with us_ , Jace thought, a small smile tugging at his lips as he quickly gave himself a pep-talk.

Feverish excitement filled his every pore. He was a human bundle of martial skill and above-average intelligence. He would be okay.

 _Valentine Morgenstern, here I come_ Jace thought with grim satisfaction.

Pulling down the hood of his jacket over his head, he walked out of the Terrace, assessing everyone around him and making sure the splotch of scarlet that was agent Queen's hair never left his sight.

As he crossed the pavement and exited the park, he checked his watch: **10:30 AM.**

He had known something monumental would happen today -bad or good-, but little had he thought it would be _as_ drastic as what happened in the next split-second.

 ** _BOOM!_**

The sound of death and destruction.

* * *

 **Thank you to ALL those lovely people who have followed, favorited and reviewed my story!**

 **As for the guest reviewers- at least give me your names so that I can address you by name when I give you a thank you note!**

 **What do you guys think of the TV show Shadowhunters? I live in India, so I couldn't watch it on tv as the channel doesn't appear on Indian television. Buuuuut, I watched it on YouTube later and I like it! They have changed SO MANY THINGS ! that part I did not like- and they made LUKE BLACK! I'm not being racist and I have nothing against African American people (I am colored, myself), I just imagined Luke as they said in the story- BLUE eyes and brown hair! whyyyy? But I loved Izzy- she looked exactly like I imagined!**

 **To all the people who favorited and followed me- it would be nice if you also reviewed. i mean, it would show me exactly what you like about my story, what parts I should improve and things like that- so please please PLEASE review?! It means a lot to me even though it might seem like nothing to you.**

 ** _QUESTION of the chapter: Which is your favorite OTP and why?_ (Mine is Sizzy because they don't just like each other based on first impressions and looks, they evolve with each other and fall in love after being friends first, no matter how DIFFERENT they were! I also just love the idea that a nerdy, sweet guy and an intimidatingly beautiful warrior fall in love...*sigh!*- #GOALS!)**

 **PS : I STILL haven't gotten over the Malec kiss though- so intense! who else hasn't?**

 **Please let me know what you think- have I done justice? Please review! Let's see if we can get it to 50 or something...**


	6. They meet- fireworks explode

**Hey, devoted TMI fans!**

 **I think a song which befits this chapter is 'Live like Legends' by Ruelle. The first chapter's song is definitely 'Monster' by Ruelle. I just love Ruelle! Anyone else? All her songs just make my stomach leap- it's awesome! (Especially 'Monsters')**

 **I keep humming it to myself- I think I will make a cover on my YouTube channel later…. Hmmm… have to get my hands on the karaoke though- does anyone know where I can get** _ **Monsters**_ **'s karaoke?**

 _ **CHAPTER 6:**_ _They meet, the fireworks explode:_

 **Boom!**

Clary had never been as shocked in her entire life, as she was in that moment.

 _A bomb blast._

She had never expected to be in this situation. This was something that only happened in action movies, for heaven's sake!-(or on News channels, but that was different!) The only times when she had even _remotely_ been in life-threatening situations was on TV screens, when she played ' _Assassin's creed'_ with Simon during extended weekend sleepovers.

A searing blast of arid air blew her hair in front of her face and the sweat glands on her back pulled into overdrive. Chaos reigned; people were running around like frightened mice, cars stopped on the street, their drivers getting out and staring at the golden sparks that rained down. One moment the atmosphere had been carefree and tranquil, and the next- thick smoke was everywhere, searing her throat and the orange flames had engulfed several trees.

 _What about the people inside?_ She mentally screamed. No sound came out of her cracked lips. Her throat seemed to have dried too. _Are they alive?_

The bomb didn't seem to have had a huge magnitude; it had only destroyed the southern area of the Bethesda Terrace and a few surrounding trees. These details, however, did not make the situation any easier to cope with. _She could have died_.

Only half a minute ago, she had been right inside the bomb's impact range…if she hadn't gotten out of there… she would have died!

But…what about the people who were still inside? Clary thought about the families and couples who had been enjoying just another day in each other's company and had had no idea that this was to be their last day- the sweet girl scouts wearing their orange uniforms and selling cookies to complete strangers- what had happened to them? Were they injured, or even _alive?'_

The thought impacted her more than she thought it would. Clarissa was overwhelmed with too many feelings- nausea, desperation, hope and… shock. She had to help them.

"Call Nine-one-one!" she yelled at a random dude who was goggling at the burning hedge. The slow fool fumbled with his phone and took a quick picture of the disaster- which enraged Clary- and feverishly dialed the number. Looking around she could see more and more people crowding around, yelling to each other, and yes- _taking pictures._

She did not know what was more outrageous- terrorist groups bombing public arenas or civilians not lifting a finger to help their own. Clary ran closer to the site of the explosion, feeling a sudden strength within which helped alleviate other emotions and provided a puzzling clarity- the cars' honking and the people's screams were drowned out by the sudden pound of her heartbeat and the rush of her blood to her face and limbs. Before she could get any closer, however, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her aside.

Gasping in shock and anger, she thrust her elbow at the man's- it clearly _was_ a man- stomach, only to be met with hard muscle; the man didn't budge. However, before she could cry out for help or make another sound, he set her down. She turned around, ready to yell at her assailant, when she was met with a set of golden – yes, _golden_ \- eyes.

It was the man she had been staring at.

* * *

 _A bomb blast?_

Jace had known that he had accepted a mission that was far superior to his usual endeavors. But he had made the mistake of underestimating its consequences.

His ears were ringing with the after effect of the explosion. Turning around, Jace noticed that the flames did not reach a great height, only a foot or two above the shortest tree in the surrounding area.

He had only been thrown forward by the pressure and heat of the bomb and he was at the exit of the Terrace. This meant that the magnitude of the bomb was small- perhaps a targeted grenade? No, he would have definitely noticed a potential threat. So it was probably one of the small-range time bombs or a trigger bomb. This meant that whoever set the bomb wasn't a common terrorist- if they were, they would have aimed for a higher loss of lives

 _It had been for me,_ Jace realized _. And for my partner…. but they were too late._

He was stupefied. How could anyone other than the Agency's people have known that he was meeting his partner here? After all, the meeting with Valentine was in a different place.

His training kicked in, as did the extra caffeine from the morning and his senses were on high alert, his brain working a thousand thoughts a second. His head felt heavy and cluttered. Deciding he would think about the ' _how'_ later and focus about the ' _what'_ now, he zipped up his jacket and walked away from the burning circle of rubble.

People were gathering around the scene and he knew that the NYPD and the press weren't far behind. That meant he had to disappear. _Now_. Guilt plagued him for not helping the injured, but it was more important for him to leave. He would figure this mess out later.

A flash or scarlet caught his eye. A short girl with auburn hair was staring at the now dissipating wall of fire with a blank face. With burning shame, he realized he had forgotten about his partner. As though she had been shaken out of a trance, she suddenly sprinted towards the disastrous scene.

 _Is she crazy?_ Jace thought, mouth agape as he stared at the girl making her way to the obvious spotlight. She was heading into trouble. Obviously, the bombers would be on the lookout for their victims and it wouldn't end well for either of them if they were found alive right next to the explosion site! How did someone who was a top notch agent not perceive this?

He ran towards her and grabbed her waist, successfully stopping her. He knew she could possibly land him on his butt, but he would take his chances. Agent Queen was unsurprisingly light and elbowed him. It hurt, but only slightly- not as much as he thought it would.

 _What_ he thought, startled. _This woman was supposed to be the best of the best!_

The young 'agent' whirled around once he released her, her eyes filled with a fierce indignance, but the moment she saw him, her expression melted into one of mild confusion.

"Are you crazy? We have to leave- _now_. The press and NYPD will be here and then we'll be on all the news channels, putting up a show about how appalled and shocked we were when we witnessed the bomb blast." Jace whisper-yelled at her, watching, as her expression evolved from mild confusion to total puzzlement and …maybe a little- _concern_?

She furrowed her brows, having to lift her head to look at him "What the hell are you talking about- are you okay?"

 _What was she playing at?_

"We _have to_ _leave_ before they come for us- come on, Queen, do you want to stay alive or not?" Jace was exasperated- why was this redheaded chick pretending? There was no one else within a three metre radius, anyway! "Did you not realize that the bomb was meant for _us_?"

If he had thought that Agent Queen had looked puzzled, she looked absolutely befuddled now- and a little scared. This was getting irritating- why did she act like she didn't know him?

 _Why would she_ -…. _wait._ A sudden thought occurred to him, one which he found hard to swallow. _Had he made a mistake?_

Had he, _Jonathan Christopher Herondale_ , for the first time, made a mistake on his assignment?

What if this intriguing, young, redheaded woman _wasn't his partner?_

If his suspicions were confirmed, he was in a bigger mess than he had initially thought.

* * *

Perfect. Just _perfect_.

As though being in one of the most stressing situations wasn't enough, it seemed- she had to be questioned by some mad cap!

She took a shuddering breath. This man was definitely out of his mind.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about." She enunciated each syllable slowly as though talking to a child. Well, mad people were sort of like children, right? "There are people who need help, okay? We-… _ **I**_ need to help them."

She was losing patience quickly. She was tensed enough already, her nerves were on edge and she knew she was close to panicking and fleeing the scene like a madwoman.

The blond man's expression morphed into one of horror.

He stepped away from her, his eyes finding the dissipating flames and widening.

" _Shit_." He muttered, visibly agitated. He looked down at her again, opening his mouth:

"You're not-"

 _Bang. Bang._

Two bullets embedded themselves into the tree not a few inches to the left of Clary's face.

That was it. She couldn't maintain her composed façade much longer. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing other than a raspy exhale came out. She took shuddering breaths, trying to calm herself by the steady rhythm of her breathing.  
 _In, out. In, out. In, out._

A loud, vicious snarl erupting from between Goldie's gritted teeth as he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down into a crouch as he reached for his waistband and did the same. When he pulled out a gun, Clary uttered a soft scream, clapping a hand to her mouth.

"Stay here." Goldie said to her before leaping to his feet, his pistol aimed and pulled the trigger once, twice, thrice. Clary pressed her palms to her ears; eyes squeezed shut, too shocked to do anything. Her legs had turned into blocks of ice and her body was paralyzed.

When there was no more audible activity, she popped an eyelid open, only to find that she was the only one for a few feet all around and the blond man had disappeared.

 _Am I dreaming all of this right now?_ She wondered, pinching herself. Sadly, she remained in her current position, and did not appear in her comfy mattress back home. Somehow, the faint sting of her pinch gave some clarity to her stunned brain and she pulled herself up, grabbing a branch.

Her handbag had been thrown somewhere in all the commotion.

Pulling her jacket tighter around her, she struggled to her feet and hobbled away from the scandalous scene, as fast as her legs would carry her.

* * *

 **A few hours earlier not so far away from central park:**

A few strands of the man's white blond hair were sticking out of the faded blue of the basketball cap on his head. Sitting alone on a bench whose green paint was peeling, he held a newspaper in front of him, but he wasn't really looking at it. His very demeanor demanded attention and confidence- but it wasn't the good kind. It was a hard, cold aura that emanated from him.

Even the homeless passers-by gave him a wide berth, keeping away form his crossed legs.

His eyes were covered by shades, though with the amount of sunlight in that area, he didn't need it. He watched the opposite building intently. It was nothing exceptional, or even worthwhile to look at. It was a decrepit, old church whose white walls had faded into an intermittent brown, with the wooden panels either broken or non-existent.

The poorly maintained structure only remained as an ancient reminder of the past. Most people walked past it as though it didn't exist and others merely wondered why the city builders hadn't demolished it yet.

A few minutes later, a young man whose blond hair shone golden in the sunlight made his way out of the back of the building. to most onlookers, it would have seemed as though he had merely walked around the church and joined the street.

But not to this man.

With a smile that would have made a grown man's blood run cold, he stood up, folding the newspaper an setting it back on the bench which needed a paint job as much as the church did.

He dialed a number on his phone and pressed it to his ear. A few seconds passed:

"Countdown begins now."


	7. And the hits just keep on coming

_**Hey guys!**_

 _ **Sorry for the delay, I had a writer's block.**_

 _ **So… where were we? Oh right, Clary runs away from the psycho with a gun (as she probably thinks) and an evil white blonde saw Jace come out of the ancient church! (WAS it an ancient church…. or something else? *wink wink*)**_

 _ **Thank you 'ShadowhunterC', the guest reviewer for you review! I'm glad you learned something good from my story! :D**_

 _ **also, huge thanks to awayboard22 for your review!**_

 _ **On with the story:**_

 _ **CHAPTER 7:**_ _And the hits just keep on coming:_

The rhythmic _tap-tap_ of the white-blond man's perfectly filed fingernails rapping the wooden desk were the only sounds heard in the room.

His coal black eyes were fixed on a single spot, betraying no agitation. His demeanor was cold, calculating and composed but his mind was churning with impatience and irritation- much like the wind blowing the leaves around in circles outside.

He was waiting. Waiting, for the confirmation of the death of a certain someone.

* * *

Jace was, at the moment, probably the most frustrated person on the planet.

As though dealing with a probably-fatal mistake wasn't enough, he now had to deal with who knows how many mystery assailants whom he could not find. Imagine how that was going to look on his mission report.

And _now_ , he couldn't find the girl that he had mistook for his partner!

The gravity of the situation hadn't missed him- he knew that this girl could be a witness to the mission and if she knew even a little bit about the real situation…. The future of the Agency's secrecy and success were in jeopardy.

Not to mention, he had _no idea whatsoever,_ who his partner really was or even if she was alive! She could be busy searching for him, wondering if he were alive or… she could be very busy being…dead.

Yeah, he was officially screwed up.

If that girl told someone- anyone- about what she saw…. It might very well be the end of the Agency. The government would cut off the budgets, scrap their programmes, missions would no longer be carried out and the lives of everyone he knew would be in danger.

Jace being Jace, he _could not_ and _would not_ let that happen. The Shadowhunter Agency was his family. The only way to save them would be to find this girl, regardless of whether she understood what had happened or not. Not only that, but if Valentine's men were the ones who attacked him, then they too, like him would've thought that that girl was his partner; Which meant that _she_ was also in danger, which was double the reason to find her as soon as possible. However, there was no way to find her, if he did not know _anything_ about this girl- her name, ID, residence address- nothing!

Then he remembered. He was an agent after all- and didn't he have gadgets to play with? There was hope to find her after all.

* * *

" _JACE!_ What-how- …we saw- _what the hell_ happened?"

Maia was the first to see him- T-shirt dotted with small holes from thorns and brambles, dirt smudged on his cheek and with an urgent, frantic air about him.

"Get me any surveillance videos from central park, centered around Bethesda terrace. _Now_ , please." He said, pushing past her. He swiped his identity card in the slot and made his way to the private cluster of plasma screens and keypads in a corner.

"Jace-" Maia waved at Alec and followed Jace into the room. "- _Wait!_ _What happened?_ We saw the explosion from the Fifth Avenue cameras! Heat signatures blew up all over the place! Did you find-"

"Maia, this is urgent- I _really_ need to find this person before _they_ find the press or-..or someone else, so _help me_ instead of asking questions! Or the agency's future is non-existent!"

"Guys, what's going on?" Alec had entered, his eyes found Jace's immediately and he could tell form the palpable tension in the air that something had gone wrong. "Jace, did you find your partner? Have they…." He trailed off, glancing at Maia then at Jace, silently asking whether she knew about the real importance of the mission.

"We need to find somebody in the surveillance cameras. Try the fifth avenue's – near the Dakota building or somewhere around that." Jace instructed, glancing away from Alec's azure eyes. That was an answer in itself- No, she didn't know. Removing his coat, Alec sat down opposite to Jace and the computer blinked to life.

Maia wouldn't give up.

"What is going on, Jace! You were in a mission in central park! What was that explosion? And what is it that's making you so jumpy?" she made her way around to face his screen. Then in a quieter voice, she said: "You said it was a regular security issue. It wasn't, was it?"

Jace sighed heavily, turning his chair around to face her. "Maia, I-"

"No, it's okay. I get it. Classified mission, right?" She took a deep breath. "Okay, tell me what I need to do."

Maybe her compatible and understanding nature was what made her so likeable.

"Run it through with the facial recognition scanner. I need to find a woman. Around five feet tall. She's a red head, kind of hard to miss." _Too hard to miss, unfortunately_.

"Found her." Alec said, eyes glued to the monitor, clicking away madly. "Is this her?" The screen showed a freckled, redheaded girl, running hurriedly across Fifth Avenue, leaves in her hair and a wild look on her face.

"Yeah, that's her."

A few strokes later, Maia looked up from her screen. "Clarissa Fairchild. Student at NYU and part time artist. Also goes by the name Clary Fray. Lives in an apartment alone. Family of four. The address is here."

"Okay, give me her address. I'm going to find her."

Many questions plagued him. _What will you tell her? That you followed her because you didn't want her to think you were a psycho with a gun?_ Well, too late for that one, it would be creepier to have followed her in the first place as she would surely think. The truth was, he didn't know. He did not know what to tell her- he was out of ideas. _Maybe tell her that he was a cop, or something? Yeah, that would work._

 _But that isn't all that credible!_ The realistic part of his brain argued. He silenced it with a firm: _I'll figure something out._

He was already running to the door, swinging it open, flinching at how cold the metal handle was when Alec stopped him.

"Jace, wait!" Alec called after him. "What happened to your partner?" His blue eyes were serious.

Jace swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing "I don't know."

* * *

Clary was tired even though the day had just started. The sun was up (albeit covered by clouds) and surviving a disaster wasn't an effort on her part, so she definitely did not need any _rest_. Nevertheless, all she felt like doing as of now was sinking into her soft mattress and deluding herself into thinking that she had dreamed the bomb up. Maybe if she just told herself that often, she might believe it. She shut the door with her foot and dropped her keys and phone on the table.

Sighing heavily, she made her way into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of lemonade form the fridge. She turned around and brought the bottle to her lips to taste the cold, sweet drink, relishing its freshness. Clary shuffled to the living room and switched the TV on.

" _NYPD is tracking the source of the bomb blast. No terrorist group has claimed responsibility of the attack as yet as the rest of New York City awaits with bated breath, for news about the survivors of the attack this morning."_

The news reporter wore a worried expression, her forehead creased. It was nothing compared to how Clary felt.

As she tilted her head back to take another sip of her lemonade, a hand clamped down on her mouth, silencing her as her bottle fell to the wooden floor, shattering.

* * *

Maia was befuddled, angry and almost hysterical with worry. Her patrol duty had been diverted and now she was neglecting her job, looking up somebody that she wasn't authorized to do a background check on. It had been _twenty_ whole minutes since Jace had left and she was _still_ staring at the same profile. Why was she looking at the profile? She wanted to know why Jace had wanted to follow a random woman she had never heard of before today. What could have been so important that he had had to leave immediately after his disastrous mission to find this woman?

Her monitor displayed the picture of a young woman with red hair and green eyes, freckles sprinkled on her cheeks and neck. Her head was thrown back in laughter her arms around the shoulders of two boys facing the camera. Both boys seemed a world apart in their difference of appearances:

The boy on the right had white-blond hair and was frowning at the other boy whose glasses were perched on the end of his nose, his brown hair ruffled by the wind. The brown-haired boy's mouth was pulled up in a grin. A few more clicks and strokes of the keypad and voila: Their names appeared- Jonathan Fairchild and Simon Lewis. Brother and best friend to Clarissa respectively.

What Maia didn't understand was what Jace would want with such a normal girl with such a normal life. Clearly, she had no track record of felony- not even a speeding ticket!- But knowing Jace, he would have a definite reason for wanting to track her. Alec had informed her about the true importance of the mission and she had to admit- the plan had had so many flaws that _something_ was _bound_ to go wrong.

Sighing, she rubbed a hand across her face.

She wanted to know why Jace was so flustered and secretive- something else other than the bomb blast had definitely happened. No doubt he would explain later- if he didn't, she would _make_ him.

* * *

Translucent liquid spread on the wooden floor of the living room, mingling with the glass shards. Clary gasped in shock and whipped around, only to find that she couldn't. A huge- _very_ huge- man was holding her in a vice-like grip, squeezing her delicate shoulders with his burly- and very hairy- arms, rendering her breathless. She flailed, but was no match for the intruder. She elbowed him in the eye, a move he hadn't been expecting, and she fell to the floor, retching and coughing.

 _What the hell did this guy want? Was he a serial killer? Or a burglar who killed his victims? What was happening? First a bomb blast and now this? The world was going crazy!_

She couldn't breathe- her throat felt constricted and the surrounding air suddenly seemed deficient in Oxygen. She struggled to her feet, noticing that the man was perfectly alright and seemed to be watching her with a feral smile. A chill ran through her and she had to hold back from visibly shuddering.

"What- what do you want?" She rasped, barely able to form a coherent sentence.

In response, the burly man just gave her a sinister smile. She _had_ to get away from here- away from _him_. She gave him a tight smile and contrary to what she wanted to do, she stepped closer. The man raised a questioning eyebrow. Faster than she thought possible for her, she brought up her leg to knee him where it would hurt the most, expecting him to double over and groan. However, quicker than lightning he grabbed her offensive leg between his tanned hands and with a glare, twisted her leg, sending her sprawling to the floor. _Again._ Clary just closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. A few rays of sunlight made it past the small gap between the curtains and the window pane. She had drawn the curtain open when she had left. Why hadn't she noticed that oddity before?

"Unfortunately darling, being a witness certifies your death. It's nothing personal." He whispered, his dark eyes glimmering maliciously as he grabbed a gun out of his jacket and aimed it at her head. All she saw was the two fingers on the trigger. In the last second, she rolled to the side, hitting her head on the wall. The man roared as the bullet didn't meet its mark and instead, the wooden floor. Cursing, he bent down and grabbed Clary's hair as he threw her at the couch. Numb and stiff, her breaths came out in pants. She rolled off the couch and groaned as the wood met her bruising limbs and shoulder.

 _So this was it. This was how she would die-_ In her own apartment, alone in the place she called home, murdered by a goon, for a reason she didn't know.

She just lay there, paralyzed with fear and confusion, her brain unable to form a single thought. She cried out and winced when the shot rang out, not knowing that it wasn't for her. Her eyes rolled back into her head, as she slumped backward, her head hitting the wooden panels of the floor as she lost consciousness and everything faded into darkness.

* * *

"Is the agent dead?" The tall man whose pale hair was covered with a blue basketball cap asked.

The short man in front of him hung his head. "He escaped sir. But their men our looking for him, they'll find him soon enough."

Both men were standing in an alley that had graffiti covered walls, overflowing garbage bins. The air was permeated with the stench of cat pee. It was _not_ a place that the tall man with white blond hair would have visited, ever- if only people did what they were told to properly.

The latter, a stocky man in dark clothes, looked up at the other man, waiting for his response.

"Is that so?" the former asked, his voice soft. He did not have to raise his voice to show authority or disapproval- the cowering man in front of him was testimony to the fact that he was a natural at intimidation.

"And what of the girl?"

"I don't know sir. They said they would take care of all witnesses." He said, realizing that he was approaching the end of his usefulness and the end of his employer's patience. " _Sir._ " He squeaked, hastily, having forgotten to insert the respectful title at the end of his previous sentence.

"Make sure the Raveners know that my father will be very disappointed if he hears that they haven't fulfilled their part of the bargain."

"Yes sir, immediately sir!"

* * *

He had been standing outside the Clarissa Fairchild's apartment for about a minute, wondering whether he should barge in and proceed with the 'I'm a cop' story or wait for her to go somewhere else, when he heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. Heart hammering wildly, Jace kicked the door open, eyes focusing on his target: a burly man's back.

 _Bang._

One shot was all that was necessary for the unfortunate and surprised man to drop his gun and sluggishly turn around.

 _Bang, bang, bang._ Three more bullets embedded themselves into his exposed neck. A great thud sounded as he fell back, the wooden floor shuddering as his mass hit the surface.

He studied the scene, realizing that the big burly man, now dead on the floor, had attempted to kill Clarissa, who was now unconscious on the floor in front of the bright orange couch. Spending thirty seconds to scour the place for any other intruders, he placed two fingers on the passed out woman's neck to check whether she was dead. He could feel the small, insistent beating of her pulse, getting louder with every second and sighed in relief, allowing himself to relax momentarily. She seemed to be unharmed.

He didn't know why he did it. After all, it would have been better for him and the agency if someone had killed the red haired woman.

But that was the thing: he didn't want to kill anyone- and letting her die would be equal to pulling the trigger on her, himself. Minimizing casualties was a necessity.

Now that he was here, he couldn't say anything or even think of saying anything. It was clear, that he wouldn't be able to hide the truth from Clarissa now. After all, she had almost been murdered in her own apartment and had been saved by the very man who had stopped her at the site of a bomb blast and unnerved her with his gun. His 'Cop' story wasn't going to work so well. It had been Ludicrous idea in the first place- now it seemed all the more so.

Rolling his shoulders, he stepped around the couch and studied the would-be-assassin. Black Kevlar vest, small knives adorning his belt, an advanced gun strapped to his thighs. Yes, this man was definitely a well paid assassin. Just to make sure, he checked for a pulse, not really surprised when it was absent.

Taking out his phone, he called the one person whose help he needed right then. She picked up on the third ring.

" _Jace?"_

"Hey Maia. Tell me everything about this girl."

" _Well, she's- wait, where are you now?"_

"At her apartment, standing over the dead body of an assassin."

" _Oh, I- wait,_ _ **WHAT**_ _?"_ her voice had ended in a shriek.

"Yes, Maia- someone has sent an assassin after her. I need to know who would want to kill her and why."

" _But, ..but she's completely normal- she has no record of felony, nothing extraordinary- even her family is clear!"_

"How do you know that?"

There was a silence at the other end of the line before: _"I did a background check. I was curious."_

"Well, good thing you did. Do any of her friends or family members have any feud with powerful people?"

" _No, Jace. Her brother, mother and step father are all clear. It could be personal problems, but I don't think so."_

"Neither do I." he sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "Okay, clear the history and don't tell anyone about this."

" _Jace…"_ he could hear the hesitation in her voice.

"Please Maia, I'll explain everything later."

" _Fine. At least tell me which assassin group it is. Check his weapons for an embossing or something. I'll check it up and find who sent the assassin."_

"Thanks Maia."

He bent and relieved the dead man of his weapons. As Jace took the last dagger out of the belt, the corpse's shirt came up a bit to reveal a part of a tattoo in blue ink.

With a heavy sense of foreboding, Jace warily lifted the shirt up further and stared in shock at the curling patter of dark blue on the assassin's back.

His mind was in a turmoil of incomprehension. He kept staring at the tattoo, expecting it to disappear- _hoping_ it would disappear. He replayed the years of his training in Shadowhunter academy, going back to when he had first seen this particular tattoo. This tattoo, more than anything else, proved to him what a mess he was in.

" _Ravener._ " he breathed, hardly daring to believe it.

Maia's voice was laced with disbelief and maybe a little fear:

" _Did I hear you right?"_

He did not have to answer.

" _Should I check it up?"_ Maia asked after a moment of stunned silence. _"Jace?"_

"I think I have a pretty good idea." And he hung up before she could ask him anything else.

Raveners were an exclusive group of assassins, only working for the top circle of criminals all around the world, only for the highest prices. They were the best of the best.

Trainee agents had seen that tattoo in their first month of training, the tattoo that every assassin part of the Ravener group wore- it was a design that was regarded with extreme apprehension and desperation. Rarely did Raveners ever make it to the Agency's radar. Whenever Raveners murdered, no one knew it was them. No Ravener had ever been caught dead, much less alive.

This wasn't a matter to be taken lightly. Jace was now, the only agent in a decade to have encountered a Ravener- probably the first agent ever to have killed one.

Who would have sent a _Ravener_ to murder _Clarissa_?

Well let's see- Who was the one world-class criminal who could be in any way remotely connected to the woman who had been spotted by gun men who worked for him because of Jace?

It didn't take a genius to figure it out:

 _Valentine Morgenstern._

* * *

 **To answer one of my awesome reviewer's [numberonehardcorefangirl] questions:**

 _ **Question:**_ _Is Valentine Clary and Jon's father?_

 _ **Answer:**_ _No, he isn't. In this story, Jonathan Clark is their father and he died in a car crash. Yeah, I know- uninteresting. But it would be too much of a coincidence if he was Clary's father and- whoops! I might just reveal the entire plot if I go on like this!_

 **Soooo…. Whatcha think?**

 **Too much info to process, does anyone need an explanation? Critique me and let me improve!**

 **Oh, also- huge shoutout to Lecrit and Flora Silverthrush. They are such amazing and inspiring writers, the reading community benefits from such awesome people. They are proficient in their work and add to the magic of the basic storyline with their creativity and never cease to amaze me. Please check out their stories…they are just awesome! Especially** _'His apple girl'_ **by Flora and** _'avengers' initiative'_ **by Lecrit.**

 **Peace out people!**

 **PS: I just recently saw 'Guardians of the galaxy' and man its so funny! Ha ha ha!**

 _ **[Chapter question: Who is your favorite author? (Besides Cassandra Clare of course.)**_

 _ **I cannot have just one favorite, so: My favorites are Jeffrey Archer, Rick Riordan and Ayn Rand. ]**_

 _ **PLEASE REVIEWWWW! I need to know what you think! Please?**_


	8. No longer a coincidence

_**Okay, first off I really want to thank**_ _Sirfan_ _ **and**_ _Kereina-fabulous Sensei_ _ **for their lovely reviews that really made me cry. Thank you so much, guys, this chapter is dedicated to you two. You boosted my confidence, and if you carry on like this, I might just end up conceited. ;P**_

 _ **Thanks also to all my other reviewers-**_ ntlpurpolia _ **,**_ depper57 _ **and**_ I'm a writing dreamer.

 _ **So….here ya go!**_

* * *

 ** _CHAPTER 8:_** _No longer a coincidence:_

 _Rage._

It was an emotion with which the white-blond man was very well acquainted with.

With a roar of frustration and anger, he punched the screen of the monitor in front of him, sending it crashing to the floor, its glass screen shattering.

 _Incompetent fools! Can't even kill two people!_ He thought, his fists clenching and unclenching, nails digging into his palms. A silver ring with an intricate design adorned the fourth finger of his right hand: A line of calligraphy ran across the length and a small engraved **_'M'_** stood in-between two interwoven snakes. By the look of the blackened rust and the old-fashioned engravings, it was an heirloom.

The white-blond man took a deep breath, buttoning his black suit jacket and straightening his tie. His face smoothed into a placid expression, but his coal black eyes showed his intense displeasure and fury. His mannerisms showed that he was a man used to pretentions and pretending. His life, after all, depended on his intricate web of lies and secrets. He was accustomed to hiding his real emotions.

His office was well furnished with expensive antique mahogany and velvet drapes. The colors were warm and comforting, but the atmosphere within the room was far from it- it was cold and unwelcoming. Barely any sunlight made it past the heavy plum drapes.

Clearly, the man was rich- it was a wealth he had _earned_ , not inherited. To him, each of his possessions signified his hard work, however despicable to others his work seemed.

Pressing a button on the intercom, he said in a controlled, deep voice:

 _"Backup plan. Send her in."_

* * *

"Maia, have you seen Jace? I haven't received his report on the mission yet- he hasn't even arrived yet!"

Hodge looked at her expectantly, concern deepening the lines on his forehead. Then in a whisper, after looking around to make sure that no one was close enough, he asked:

"Central park- the bomb… do you think he's-"

" _No!_ " Maia exclaimed, hands gripping the tabletop, her knuckles whitening. She was stressed out enough as it was, without adding Hodge to the list. She didn't want to explain that she _had,_ in fact, seen Jace and so had Alec, before he disappeared to find a mysteriously normal girl. Her boss did not have to know that she was failing at her job of solving problems. "I'm sure he has a good reason for his tardiness, Hodge, don't worry."

Hodge nodded, looking distracted and turned away. She knew Hodge thought she didn't know about the real mission Jace had undertaken – and it was true that she hadn't. However, he didn't know that _she knew_ he had lied to her. So, she convinced herself that she wasn't technically _lying_ to Hodge…just putting off the information for late, like he had.

Maia rubbed her knuckles over her forehead, her mind wandering back to the dilemma she was in. Ever since she had been recruited to the Shadowhunter Agency, at thirteen (by Jordan), her first duty was to her job. Sure, she had learned to be less uptight after realizing that everyone seemed as close as family, but she took her job seriously, never cutting herself, or anyone else, some slack.

Now, she was forced to choose between duty and loyalty- though those two words were often used together.

 _What could she do?_

* * *

By the time Clarissa Fairchild's breathing had become normal and her eyes had started moving under her fluttering eyelids, Jace had searched the entire apartment for anything out of the ordinary. He came up with nothing. Contemplating whether that was a good sign or not, he sat next to the now-awakening form of the red-haired woman, waiting for her to notice him and - as he assumed she would- scream.

With a start and a breathy gasp, she awoke, sitting up straight and her hand flying to her throat. For a moment, she simply stared at empty space and waited for her breathing to pace out.

"Where is he?" She asked in a surprisingly calm, though hoarse voice and looked around.

Jace said nothing, waiting for her to notice the bulky body by her couch, and when she did, she buried her face in her hands, muttering to herself. Looking up at him suddenly, she revealed her tired face and asked him in a resigned sort of voice: "Are you a cop or something?"

Jace was, frankly, quite shocked at her calm reaction. He had expected a squeaky outburst of expletives and frantic spluttering. He surprised himself even more when he answered: "No."

The woman before him tilted her head to the side before narrowing her eyes at him.

"Bullshit."

He raised his eyebrows.

"You found me at my apartment when we've never met before this morning- _and_ I saw your gun. New York doesn't give out gun licenses like free candy samples. You're either a cop or a private detective or possibly both. Who are you?"

The question rang in his ears.

 _Who are you?_

* * *

Simon stared transfixed, at his phone, in the middle of the pavement.

 _'BETHESDA ANGEL TAKES AN EARLY TRIP TO HEAVEN'_ read the caption, beneath which a picture of the Bethesda terrace on fire was displayed. An urgent chain of beeping sounds brought diverted his online newsletter, to his texts.

 _Si, please come to my place._

 _ASAP._

 _Please._

 _I'm serious._

 _(~ Clary)_

Putting away the news of central park's bombing from his immediate list of concerns, and wondering how bad Clary's date could have possibly been, he put the phone back into his pocket and changed direction. Suddenly, he remembered that Clary had been at central park, when the explosion occurred- she had been in the _exact_ location of the bomb blast.

Oh god, was she…thank goodness she wasn't dead.

A million thoughts rushed through Simon's mind and he took off at a faster pace, towards her apartment.

 _Was she hurt? How badly was she injured? Why didn't she go to a hospital? What had happened?_

He couldn't believe that he hadn't thought about her dying in the explosion at central park when he'd read about it; but then again, he hadn't even finished reading the article before.

 _Thank god she's safe,_ he thought.

* * *

The first thing that hit him when he entered Clary's apartment, using his key, was the lack of music. Clary had always disliked silences unless it had a very good reason.

"Silence sounds like loneliness and lack of creativity." she had told him whenever he had teased her about her habit of avoiding silences.

The second thing that hit him was a strong fist, as soon as he had stepped into the living room. With a cry, he staggered and hit the small wooden table, his side and his face flaring with pain. Massaging his face and blinking the pain away, he turned just in time to see his attacker advance, raising both his arms in an offensive gesture.

"Dude, what the hell?!" Simon exclaimed, glaring at the intruder he had never seen before in his life.

At that moment, Clary came running into the living room, her red hair flying behind her and surveyed the situation.

"Hey! Stop!" She yelled at the blond man, stepping in between both of the men. "That's my friend! What the hell was that for?"

"I thought he was another one." said the man, lowering his arms. However, he remained tense and distrusting, his eyes narrowed.

"Another _what?"_ Simon asked. What the hell was this guy talking about?

"None of your business." was his reply. Then the man turned to Clary. "Did you call him here? Are you nuts? You want everyone you know to be in danger? _You_ know too much as it is. Why call him?"

Simon was, however impossible it seemed, even more baffled and stared at both of the other occupants of the room. Clearly Clary was just as confused as he was, because a moment later, she glared at him and held out an accusatory finger and said : "Yeah well, since you won't even tell me who the hell you are, I don't think you're in a position to tell me what to do!"

The man's face remained impassive. "I just saved your life, Red. You should be grateful for that."

"Okay, what is going on? And who are you?" Simon asked, unable to fathom what the hell either of them were talking about. Was this man Clary's date? And what did he mean by saying he saved her life?

"Jace." He answered warily.

Clary threw her hands up in exasperation. "And that is the _only_ thing he's willing to tell me. He _knows_ who tried to kill me but he won't even tell me anything! He's ' _waiting for more information'_." she said, poorly imitating Jace's deep voice.

"Your-you- _what_?" Simon asked her incredulously, convinced he had heard her wrong. " _Kill you?"_

Everyone in the room turned around …. And Simon had to restrain himself from jumping a foot into the air, when he saw the bulky form of a dead man in black.

 _Okay, what the HELL is going on?,_ he wanted to ask, but his voice didn't work.

A shrill ringtone diverted everyone's attention. It was the first time the man- Jace's- face had showed something other than hostile suspicion- it now displayed a worried apprehension. He quickly picked up his phone and put it to his ear, retreating into the kitchen, to give himself some privacy.

"Okay, what is going on, Clary? Who the hell is that guy?" Simon asked, turning to her.

"I don't know. When I came home, this guy.." she looked once more at the corpse "He tried to kill me and said something about being a-a witness or something. And then _this_ guy turned up and I think he shot him. I fainted."

Simon's eyebrows rose with every sentence and they were now in danger of disappearing into his thick, mouse brown hair.

"I don't know how or why he got here. And then…I texted you from the bathroom, because I knew he would hear me if I called you."

"Why did you want to text me?"

She looked up at him, anxiety evident in her green irises and whispered:

"I wanted someone here that I could rely on."

* * *

"Maia? What've you got?"

"I know you think it's Valentine. I think so too, but…things aren't adding up. Clarissa Fray is the girl next door. She's ….completely normal. Why would anyone want to kill her?"

"That's one question I know the answer to. She was in central park with me in tow, right?"

"Uh…she was? You didn't tell me anything Jace, need I remind you?"

"Oh. Right. I followed her and then there was this explosion- and I _know_ that it was to exterminate my partner and I -and I know Valentine's men put it there. She was a witness- she saw me and… other men- I think they were Raveners- with guns. Clearly, they don't let witnesses live- the guy they sent must have followed her. What I don't know is how Valentine knew who I was and that I was meeting my partner on his case today. I need to know if there were any breaches in security recently."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You followed her? Why? And what does Valentine have anything to do with this?"

"I'll explain later, I-"

" _No_ , Jace, I can't wait any longer- I have a shit load of work to get back to and Hodge already asked me if I saw you. You know that lying to our supervisor means suspension from the agency."

Guilt of this magnitude had affected him only once before- and he never wanted to remember the day he'd first felt it. He was jeopardizing Maia's future, just because of his instincts and placing her in a disadvantageous position. She had everything to lose.

"Maia, you know me and you know that I want what you want. I don't want to hurt anybody. I was …working on a mission and was supposed to meet my partner on the case concerning Valentine today. That case is way more serious than we originally thought. We were supposed to impersonate his henchmen and…. I can't explain in detail now… _Please,_ just…hold on for a while."

He heard a reluctant sigh on the other end of the line before: "Fine. Next time, Herondale- I'm reporting you."

The line went dead.

He still hadn't gotten any answers. Frustrated, he turned around and faced two more people who wanted an explanation from him.

* * *

"Alec. I need to talk to you."

Alexander Lightwood looked up from his laptop screen to see a frowning Maia. "What is it?"

"Jace."

Instantly alert, he straightened up. "Any news?"

"Yeah, he wants me to check if there were any recent security breaches. He thinks Valentine was responsible for the Bethesda terrace explosion."

Alec's eyes almost bulged out of his head. "Valentine? Why?"

"He wasn't very informative."

Alec nodded, murmuring to himself. "He and his partner were in central park and there was an explosion… yes, it does seem plausible. But how would Valentine know they were meeting there and how did he know what they looked like?"

"I don't fully understand it, Alec- you both haven't told me anything as yet."

A sheepish shrug was the only response.

"But dealing with security breaches isn't his job. It's the job they give to newbies- and he wasn't given the supervisor's permission." Alec said after a pause.

"He just wanted to know. Do you know any newbies who don't…. play by the rules?"

Alec scrunched up his face. "No, I don't know any newbies, period. But, tell you what- I'll do it myself."

So saying, he situated himself behind one of the computers with the Agency's seal on the back and began working. Two minutes later: "No."

"No? But…then how did Valentine know that Jace was gonna be in Central Park today?"

 _The million dollar question._

"I don't know Maia, but if I were to guess… it's not very good for the Agency."

She nodded, even more confused than she originally was. "Thanks Alec. I'll let you kno-"

They were interrupted by blaring sirens as all the ceiling-length screens in the room flashed the same message:

SECURITY BREACH. NORTH-WEST PENITENTIARY.

A robotic voice announced the same from overhead speakers.

"The penitentiary….there aren't any suspects in there are there?" Maia asked Alec.

"Uh, Jace's suspects, Pangborn and Blackwell are still in there."

"Pangborn and Blackwell? I thought they were sent to the Clave for interrogation?" The Clave was the board of senior-most supervisors and directors of all the Shadowhunter Agency's city bases.

"No. Jace wasn't sure if he'd gotten everything out of them, yet."

 _Damn it,_ she thought. _Why did Jace have to be right about almost everything?_ If he hadn't been sure, they would have gone to the Clave and would be in a secure location now.

Pulling out her gun form her back pocket, she cocked it and turned to Alec. "You coming?"

Holding up a dart gun, he answered: "Way ahead of you."

And together, they made their way past confused agents swarming around, and techies who were furiously clicking away at their computers, towards the penitentiary.

* * *

 _"What the hell happened back there? Where are they?"_ She yelled, not making any effort to be even slightly diplomatic.

"I'm sorry Agent Roberts, they were out of the gates before we even noticed the breach. We alerted database as soon as we could."

"That is bullshit. How did you end up working for the Agency, if you can't notice a breach in the most secure location in New York?" Maia restrained herself from throttling the man with the weird eyes, who was staring at her impassively, clearly not intimidated or impressed by her tirade. His eyes- one blue, one green- stared her down as though she was the wrong doer here. It just angered her more.

"Get me the video coverage. I want to know how the hell they managed to incapacitate the guards and get out of their cells alive."

"That isn't all that they did, Agent Roberts, they downloaded a few unidentifiable files through the penitentiary's data source- and those were classified files. But I'll try to access the video feed from their cells." said Meliorn, head techie of the New York Agency's penitentiary, and tapped his tablet a few times. His odd European accent proved that he hadn't been in New York for long.

He frowned and tapped it again. "Agent Roberts, the reason the breach didn't get registered until the gate alarm was set off was because the suspects somehow managed to disable the cell door's alarm and-"

"Stop." Maia couldn't take it anymore. Problem after problem was surfacing and she felt her love for her job was being undermined. "Get to the crux."

"The cameras were tampered with and we have no footage. So, we don't know how they got out, or how they accessed the classified files."

"So what _have_ we got?"

"Nothing of consequence."

"Damn it."

Pressing her palms to her eyes, she thought about it for a moment. "Fine. Thanks Agent Whitewillow, if there is anything more to be reported, contact supervisor Starkweather or me."

"Will do, Agent. And may I convey my congratulations in advance- I hear you're to be promoted to supervisor?"

"No. I wasn't aware of that." She said, squinting suspiciously at the man.

"Oh. Well, perhaps it was someone else. Forgive me. Good day Agent."

His way of talking and his accent confirmed her suspicions: he was definitely British. They always had a habit of being polite to the point of mockery.

Her mind was exhausted, but she knew one thing for certain- it wasn't a coincidence that on the exact same day Jace had been to Central Park, an explosion had occurred and it definitely wasn't by luck that Jace's suspects had been caught, in the first place. Pangborn and Blackwell, the two suspects that broke out of the cell holdings were definitely decoys, put here on purpose, to break out and steal the files. What she needed to find out was who had authorized the file clearance. Because the only person who could access classified files was someone with a senior access card in the Agency- which meant it could be the head of technical assistance, the supervisor, or someone with a higher status. Hacking the system was impossible.

She was too preoccupied to look back and notice Agent Meliorn swipe right on his tablet and delete the video feed from the penitentiary. As soon as the screen was wiped clean of any evidence of his involvement in his colleagues' escapade, he smiled and placed the tablet back on the table.

One loose end that the rogue Agent Meliorn Whitewillow forgot to tie was the camera that blinked red, continuously at the top corner of the database's central podium, recording everything that had happened.

* * *

"At least one thing went right."

"Everything should have happened accordingly, son. We were let down."

"But, _she's_ on it father. She says she'll do anything to get back at the Agency- and she's the best there is."

"I know."

A heavy silence settled on the two occupants of the room: A white blond man in a suit with a gaudy, engraved ring and another man with similar hair, with a blue basketball cap. The pause was broken by the younger gentleman with the cap: "Should I join her?"

"If you deem it necessary. It needs to be done as quickly as possible." The older man twisted the ring around his finger. "Did they get the files?"

"Yes."

"And what of the witnesses? Have they been disposed of?"

"The Raveners said they'll take care of it. But I don't think they've dealt with an agent before- so it's going to be too close to call."

"Then go. Don't let me down, Sebastian."

"I won't father."

* * *

 ** _Ooh!_**

 ** _We know the name of one of our villains now! What do you think?_**

 ** _Please leave me a review, it means a lot to me!_**


	9. The Rogue Agent?

_**Hey guys!  
Sorry for the small chapter- I have been EXTREMELY busy!**_

 _ **CHAPTER 9:** The rogue agent?_

"Brilliant idea. Do it now."

"Hush, my dear. All good things to those who wait."

The man rolled, so the woman was beneath him, her glossy hair spilling over the velvety, white pillow. He leaned in close and nipped at her soft ear, eliciting an involuntary gasp from her.

"I can't afford to wait any longer."

The woman rolled her eyes and sat up in one swift motion, the man and the thick sheets falling off her onto the duvet. Any other woman might have been shy of revealing her scantily clad chest to anyone, unless in the haste of lovemaking, but not this woman. She radiated confidence and strength, and there was a regal air about her self-assured stance, as though she expected even the Queen of England to bow down to her.

"I do it when I need to, Sebastian. I have things to take care of too."

"But this needs to happen before anyone finds out! The girl is still alive for some reason and-"

"Sebastian, I am aware. But my informant doesn't liked to be rushed. Not to mention that his life and our secret are at a huge risk, if the Agency gets even a whiff of the truth."

A moment of silence prevailed, before: "This is our last bet. We need to eliminate all possible threats, even one as small as that girl. and now, even the agent-"

"Do you doubt my abilities?"

Sebastian knew when a question was rhetorical; he didn't answer. Both knew that behind those icy blue eyes was a rock hard resolve and a long-nurtured hatred towards those who usurped her.

The obvious answer to her rhetoric: _No._

* * *

"One more round, guys, don't be sissies!" Jordan cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled across the gym. "And raise your legs further up, Mendoza!"

Jordan was thoroughly bored. Having to supervise the trainee agents was not a job he looked forward to. He wondered how the usual trainer Delaney Scarsbury managed it- his job required less patience.

"Jordan."

He turned at the sound of Maia's voice, feeling the same jolt of electricity he always experienced around her.

"Hey, what's up?" She never disturbed him at work. Now, at their proximity, he could see the worry lines on her forehead- something was bothering her. She rested her chin on his shoulder, inhaling his scent, then sighed.

"I just... I'm confused."

When she had told him everything that had happened, he raised his eyebrows. "Why do we always have to save Jace's ass?"

Maia remained unsmiling. "He's always been slightly extra reckless since...you know.

Jordan looked straight ahead, ignoring his trainees who had lined up, new patches of sweat darkening their attire. "I know."

As she turned to leave, Jordan remembered something. "Hey, someone told me you're being promoted to deputy supervisor?"

Maia frowned, her head tilting to one side. "Who told you that?"

"I don't know, some of the head clerks were talking about it during the scanner tryout."

"The what?"

Jordan shrugged. "The techies were trying out a new kind of thermal-radiation scanner so most of us had to get out of the main control room and database."

Maia's eyes widened almost comically, and Jordan was getting the continuous feeling that he was missing something.

"The head technician told me nothing about a new scanner."

They were both silent, absorbing the potential enormity of one small piece of information.

"Who told you about the scanning equipment?" she was quick to recover from the initial shock of discovery.

Jordan scrunched up his eyebrows, trying to recall the exact voice and features of the man. All he remembered as a mop of dark, dark hair and ...something else unusual.

"I don't know."

Maia's braid whipped around her shoulder, as she turned away and sprinted out of the gym. Jordan was perplexed and frustrated, to say the least- what the hell was going on?

He turned to face the impeccably straight line of future kick-ass agents.

"Class dismissed."

* * *

Alec was not an impatient person.

He had always been the calm, reserved one, who kept his emotions well hidden. But that had changed for better or for worse, when his little brother died. Being the selfless, caring, older brother , he had always been his siblings' rock. They always had him to rely on. But the one time when Max had needed him more than ever, he had let him down. And for that Alec was ashamed. Ashamed of what he was, ashamed of the time he had wasted in not telling Max the truth, ashamed of the little details he missed out. Maybe, subconsciously, he was ashamed that _he_ hadn't died instead of Max.

A lot of things had changed. For one, he had quit being a field agent, which surprised many, because he showed great potential. Then, his secluded, quiet weekends had become filled with blinding lights, blaring music, alcohol and dancing...of all sorts. He'd come out to his parents about being gay and added their rejection to the list of reasons for him to be depressed.

They say time is a great healer. It couldn't be truer. Over a span of five years with his loving friends and steady, monotonous job as company, he'd recovered enough to fully accept and forgive himself- he returned to being the calm, unexceptional older brother. In his eyes, there was nothing better.

Evidently, his hot-headed brother had decided to end Alec's monotony, because now, standing outside Hodge's office, was making him jittery. That, and the underlying gut feeling that something was off, was making it difficult for him to keep his hands off his gun. Obviously, he knew what Hodge was going to ask him: _Where is Jace?_

 _'If only I could tell you_ , _Hodge.'_ he though bitterly.

"Alec!" called a slightly breathless voice. Looking up, he saw Maia sprinting towards him, closely followed by her beau. "Was there some kind of scanner experimentation going on today?"

"What?"

She huffed impatiently. " _Scanner._ Were you trying out some new kind of thermal-something scanner today?"

"Of course not." Maia paled.

"Why? What's wrong?"

She looked at them both incredulously. "How do you guys not get this?"

"Maia, what's going on?" Jordan asked, concern creasing his forehead and Alec nodded with him.

She took a deep breath. And let it out through her mouth.

"There was a breach in security, and classified files were hacked and taken- around an hour ago. Which was 1:00 PM. The same time around which, Jordan and a number of head clerks were sent out of the control database. Which meant that anything could have happened in there- _including granting access to remove classified files from anywhere in the institute._ It can't be a coincidence."

Realization struck him hard, and Alec gawked at the brunette with an expression of dawning horror and apprehension.

He gulped, noticing that Jordan wore an expression similar to his.

"Do you know what this means?"

This time it was Jordan who answered:

"It's code black. We have a rogue agent among us."

* * *

When Maia finished explaining their theory, Hodge's closed his eyes and sighed.

"I know." he said.

The three agents exchanged confused looks. "What do you mean?"

Rubbing his calloused hand over his face, he glanced at his watch and back again at them. "I figured it out perhaps a few minutes before you did. Come with me."

He got up and walked briskly, not at all looking his age , out of his office towards the main control room. "I checked the video feed- everything until after the breach of the penitentiary has been deleted."

He stepped onto the podium and switched on the nearest computer.

"Aha. Here." he said, and stepped away, for the others to see.

The same tape was being rewound again and again: A tall figure- judging by the broad shoulders, it was a man- with a mop of light hair, making his way out of the Institute- then the screen crackled and jumped to where two men- Pangborn and Blackwell sprinting out of the same exit.

"The video feed of the same camera skipped hours from when Jace left-" the visual paused when the light haired man walked out of the main entrance "- to when our suspects escaped."

"I asked the head technician- no other camera caught Pangborn or Blackwell."

"That isn't what I brought you here to talk about." Hodge said, his grey eyes boring into the three of them. "I know you're the ones closest to Jonathan Herondale-" Alec did a double take when Hodge called Jace by his full name "- and that is why ...I need tell you guys first before I take any action."

"What are you saying Hodge?" Maia voiced Alec's thoughts.

The head supervisor of the New York Institute swallowed and bowed his head. "This is hard for m to take in as well, but its the truth. The computer that erased the feed... Registration number- 5446. Jonathan Herondale."

Maia, Jordan and Alec sucked in a unanimous breath.

"Our rogue agent is Jace."

* * *

"So you're telling me, you're a plainclothes policeman, conducting a routine security check- when the explosion happened. And ...you came here, because you wanted to make sure I wasn't trying to set up a bomb to kill myself."

The statement elicited a snicker from a disbelieving Simon.

"Well, when you put it like that...no. I was _sent_ here, to make sure you weren't a threat. And you aren't since I just saw ... whoever that was-" he looked pointedly at the dead assassin. "-just try to kill you."

Clary studied the man who reminded her of Chrysaor- golden all over.

"I call bullshit."

" _Wha_ -"

"It was a good one- but its a lie. I can tell."

Jace was taken aback. His lie was pretty believable, and it definitely happened once or twice with the NYPD- he knew that. Not to mention, straight women - and he was pretty sure Clarissa _was_ straight- always believed what he said- especially when he said it with a smile. Well, he was running out of time and ideas, so the only thing left for him to do would be to do it the Agency way. Take Clarissa and her mouse-haired friend back to the Institute and erase their memories of him and... everything else related to espionage.

"Okay, I get that you don't believe me,... why don't you come to the headquarters and ...I'll let my boss explain it to you."

The other two occupants of the room, eyed him suspiciously, but said nothing.

Several things happened at once- his Agency-issued gun, earpiece and sensor started vibrating and continuously blinked a piercing red light, and his phone rang. Startled, he dropped his phone and ripped off the earpiece and sensor off of him. Regaining his composure, he picked up the call.

"Hello?"

"Jace, get away from wherever you are, now." He had never heard Alec sound so... urgent.

"Alec? What's going on?"

He could hear Alec swallow.

"Jace, its code black. And they ... they think they know who it is."

"Who?"

His reply made Jace's blood run cold and his heart stutter:

"You."

* * *

 ** _It's gonna be a while before my next update guys, just a warning- I'm really sorry, but school's getting to me... Its a shitload of work._**

 ** _I apologise for the short chapter and hope that you weren't disappointed._**

 ** _As usual: Thank you, thank you to all my reviewers, followers and favourite-ers!_**

 ** _:D_**

 ** _Peace out!_**

 ** _Chapter Question: What is your favourite song of the week?_**

 ** _[Mine is definitely 'Let me love you' by Justin Beiber. I'm not a huge Beiber fan... but that song is good]_**


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